Dirigible headlight.



UNITED STATES, PATENT orrrcn.

JOHN ZIMIMERMANN,

OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-FIFTHS '10 R0! L. CARTER, OFLOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

DDIGIBLE HEADLIGHT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 24, 19141:.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JOHN ZIMMERMANN, acitizen of the United States, residing at Louisville. in the county ofJefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and usefulDirigible Headlight, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to headlights for automobiles and similarvehicles, and has for an object to produce a simply constructedattachment whereby the headlights may be caused to follow the line ofmovement of the vehicle in all the changes of direction which it maypursue, one headlight follow ing the change of direction to one side,and the othei headlight following the change of direction to the otherside, one headlight remaining stationary while the other is shifting.

' With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as thenature of the invention is better understood, the invention consists incertain novel features of construction as hereafter fully described andclaimed, and illustrated in the accompany ing drawing which forms a partof this application, in which is set forth an embodiment of thisinvention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations andmodifications may be resorted to that come with- .in the scope of theclaims appended hereunto.

. in thedrawings, in which like reference niin'ierals indicate likeparts in the difierent views; Figure 1. is a front. elevation of aportion of an automobile of conventional form with the improvementsapplied; Fig. 2, is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1; Fig.3 is an enlarged sectional detail. Fig. l, is a detail of a connectingjoint.

lily improved device may be readily adapted without materialmodifications to all the various forms of automobiles manufactured andto lamps of such vehicles wherever located thereon. In some forms ofsuch vehicles the lamps are located upon the front of the hood portion,sometimes at the rear of the hood portion, sometimes upon the supportingframe, and at other points; but for the purpose of illustration thelamps in the drawings are shown mounted on the forward portion of theframe, chassis, a common practice in automobile construction. The bodyof the automobile is represented at 10, the hood or covering for themotive power and other parts at 11, the chassis at 12, the forward axleat 13, the forward wheels at 1.4: 15, coupled to the axle in the usualmanner by the swivel joints 16 17, the latter having lateral arms 18coupled by a rod 19; one of the swivel joints, as 16 having a lateralarm 20 carrying the steering rod 21, the mechanism for operatingwliiclris not shown, as it forms no partol the present invention.

The lamps (represented at 22 23) are mounted in brackets on the ends oftubular stems 2a 25 that fit over rods 26 27, and swivel thereon, therods are secured in, or to, bases 28 29, that in turn are attached tothe frame 12 by suitable means. Year the lower ends of the tubular stems24; 25 are lateral projections 30 31 that impinge against vertical pins32 3-3 set in the baseS 28 29, and limit the movement of the stems inone direction. Suitable means, such as springs 34: 35 coiled around thetubular stems 24: 25, are provided to hold the projections normally incontact with'the pins, in this position the lamps are held parallel tothe line of movement of the car in position to throw the light straightahead.

A shaft 36 mounted transversely. in bearings 37 is provided with an arm38 that is connected by means of a rod 39 to an arm 40 attached to thesteering 'od 21., by reason of this connection the reciprocatingmovement of the steering rod communicates collars 45 4:6 eazh having alaterally proecting finger 4T 48 that may be engaged by the fingers 4344; the arrangement being such that when he shaft 36 is'moved in onedirection a finger, say 43, on a fixed collar will engage the finger 47on the loose collar 45, and when moved in the opposite direction thefinger 44, on fixed collar 42, will engage finger 48, on loose collar46.

It will be observed that the loose collars partake in the motion of theshaft, when ongaged by the fixed collars, but that they move indifferent directions. l lxlending from the loose collars ale arms 49 50that are connected, by means of rods 51 52, with arms 53 54 that extendlaterally from the stems 24 25. The arrangement being such that as thesteering rod 21 moves forward the arm 38 is moved forward, by means ofthe rod 39, as the arm 38 moves forward pin 43, on the fixed collar 41,engages pin 47 on loose collar 45, moving the loose collar in unisonwith the shaft. As theyarm 49 ex tends upward from the collar 45 itmoves in v the reverse direction to the arm 38 and by means of theconnecting rod 51, and arm 53, turns the stem 24, and lamp 22 to theright, that is in the direction in which the wheels l4 l5 have beenturned. As the finger 43 engaged finger 47 on loose collar and shiftedthev same, finger 44 onv fixed collar 42 moved away from the finger 48'on loose collar 46 consequently the lamp 23 was not disturbe and thelight continued to be directed straight ahead. lVhen the steering rod 21moves backward, to turn the wheels to the left, the finger 44 on fixedcollar 42 will engage with finger 48 on the loose collar 46 shifting thesame, and through the medium of arm 50, rod 52 and arm 54 shifting thelamp 23 to the left, the direction in which the wheels are turning.During this movement finger 43, on fixed collar 41, has

moved away from the finger 47, on loose collar 45, and the lampcontinued to direct the rays of light straight ahead, as previously,described in connection with lamp 23.

In Fig. 4 is illustrated a form of flexible 1 connection that may beused between the various parts, comprising a ball 56,-held within asocket portion 55"by means of a screw plug 57.

By this simple arrangement it will be obvious'that when the vehicle ismoving in a straight'line the lamps will be held parallel to the line ofmovement or in position to throw light straight ahead. If the ve-.

' hicle is turned to either side, as when movmg on curves, turning,corners or turning the vehicle around, one of the' lamps Will be partlyrotated, that on the side to which the vehicle is turning, causing therays of ratus whereby said shaft is rocked by the movement of thesteering apparatus, fixed and loose collars on the shaft, meansconnecting the lamps and said loose collars, and engaging members onsaid collars whereby when the shaft is rocked in one direction one lampwill be shifted and when the shaft is rocked in the other direction theother lamp will be shifted.

2. In combination with a vehicle provided with a front-wheelsteeringear, a support at each side of the vehicle carrying a lamp;means for holding said lamps normally di rected forward, a transverseshaft, fixed and loose collars on said shaft, engaging members on saidcollars, means connecting said lamps and said loose collars, andconnecting means between said shaft and said

